Baby Beluga Whale Is … a Girl!

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A baby beluga whale born at the end of August is starting to shed
its slate-colored skin for the more mature creamy-white covering,
and the baby is a "she," aquarium staff have just announced.

The ever-growing calf, now 5 feet (1.5 meters) long, will make
her public debut Friday (Oct. 26) at Shedd Aquarium in Chicago.
Both mom and baby are plumping up, as the calf weighs about 205
pounds (93 kilograms) and is steadily packing on 12 to 15 pounds
a week. Her 1,200-pound mom Mauyak has nearly tripled her normal
diet — downing up to 88 pounds (40 kg) of fish daily — to
accommodate a hungry, nursing calf.

"In just two months, the calf has gained weight and reached
significant milestones, including bonding with mom, nursing and
meeting all of the other belugas," Ken Ramirez, Shedd's executive
vice president of animal care and training, said in a statement.

"While she continues to thrive, this initial development phase is
always a critical time for any calf, so our animal care and
animal health teams will continue to monitor her around the
clock."

The
beluga calf is doing what any smart little one would be
— she's experimenting with playtime. Not only is she playing
with fish her mom drops, but the baby beluga is interacting with
humans as well. Ramirez said she has started to approach trainers
in the water for a tongue tickle or head rub.

As the calf matures into an adult, she will slough off her
slate-colored skin for a creamy white one that, in the wild,
would blend into an icy backdrop. Beluga whales live in the icy
waters of the Arctic and sub-Arctic, as well as in the Cook Inlet
and the St. Lawrence River.

There's a chance one of the calf's talents could be
mimicking human voices, as just recently scientists at the
National Marine Mammal Foundation found their male beluga named
Noc could do just that.